{"id":100125,"date":"2018-04-20T16:40:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T16:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=100125"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:32:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:32:29","slug":"how-to-shop-online-safely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-shop-online-safely\/","title":{"rendered":"How to shop online safely"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we shop online, most of us assume everything will be safe and easy. But<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>online shopping can be risky. <\/b>Want to dodge danger? Follow these simple tips.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to shop online safely<\/h2>\n

1. Always keep your PC protected<\/b><\/h3>\n

A PC free of viruses and threats is a closed door to any hacking attempt (for example, a malware that hijacks your computer). We recommend that <\/span>you have the highest security measures on your operating system or that you install an antivirus.<\/b><\/p>\n

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2. Only shop on trusted websites <\/b><\/h3>\n

These days, many unreliable websites will try to lure you with fake offers and zero guarantees. To know if a website is trustworthy, the first tip is to check the URL: does it start with https? Great! You\u2019re good to go. <\/span>If it starts with http, get out.<\/b> This means that its security protocol is weak or nonexistent. <\/span><\/p>\n

Other tips to check if a website is trustworthy: look to see if <\/span>its customer service is visible and accessible. <\/b>In general, if the website has good spelling and layout: shady websites usually don\u2019t have reliable online stores.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Be careful with crazy bargains <\/b><\/h3>\n

No, <\/span>nobody is going to sell you a $200 brand-name pair of shoes for $20<\/b>. A good deal is one thing, but you should keep an eye out for an unrealistic bargain that hides low-quality fakes or even products that never arrive. Don\u2019t trust pages with extravagant bargains, they\u2019re likely to be unreliable. <\/span><\/p>\n

4. Control your personal data<\/b><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s normal for an online store to ask for certain info to place an order, such as your address and ID\/Passport. Make sure that this info doesn\u2019t end up in the wrong hands by reading the <\/span>privacy policy <\/b>on the site about how data is used. Also, on many forms, they ask you if you want to<\/span> release your data to third parties<\/b> (usually for advertising purposes). If you don\u2019t want to, uncheck this option. <\/span><\/p>\n

5. Make sure your payments are secure<\/b><\/h3>\n

When paying, make sure that the website has a <\/span>secure payment platform<\/b>. Also, we recommend that you choose payment methods that are easier to claim if the item isn\u2019t what you expected: so, it\u2019s better to pay with Paypal or credit card than making a money transfer. <\/span><\/p>\n

6. Always check how much money you\u2019ve been charged <\/b><\/h3>\n

Once the payment is made, check your banking statement to see if you\u2019ve been charged the correct amount and that no additional unspecified charges have been made. If this happens, the business is engaging in illegal activity and you should cancel your order as soon as possible and get in touch with your bank to make a complaint, if necessary (though in most cases, you won\u2019t need to go to that extreme). <\/span><\/p>\n

7. Watch out for phishing!<\/b><\/h3>\n

Phishing is <\/span>when hackers send email messages and pose as other trusted senders<\/b>, such as stores or banks. During Christmas campaigns, these emails are even more common, looking to lure clueless victims. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you get an email with links that aren\u2019t clear, don\u2019t open it. What\u2019s more: <\/span>never open attached files that supposedly have been sent by online stores. <\/b>This isn\u2019t how they communicate: these messages are fraudulent and the attachments have viruses or other threats. Send them directly to your spam folder!<\/span><\/p>\n

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When we shop online, most of us assume everything will be safe and easy. But\u00a0online shopping can be risky. Want to dodge danger? Follow these simple tips. How to shop online safely 1. Always keep your PC protected A PC free of viruses and threats is a closed door to any hacking attempt (for example, … Continue reading “How to shop online safely”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2041,"featured_media":100818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-100125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2041"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328061,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100125\/revisions\/328061"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100125"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=100125"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=100125"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=100125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}